


Actions

by littlemisscurious



Series: Tom, Emmy, Ben, Ellie, Paula, Max and Sophie [39]
Category: Actor RPF, British Actor RPF, Tom Hiddleston - Fandom
Genre: Arguing, F/M, Family, Gen, Making Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-28
Updated: 2014-05-28
Packaged: 2018-01-26 22:47:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,431
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1705373
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemisscurious/pseuds/littlemisscurious
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>sequel to 'Words'</p>
            </blockquote>





	Actions

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Words](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1699250) by [littlemisscurious](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemisscurious/pseuds/littlemisscurious). 



A quiet groan left his mouth the next morning when he was woken up by the persistent ringing of his alarm clock. He had been up most of the night because Max and Sophie had decided that waking up and crying alternately would be way more fun for Daddy than doing so at the same time leaving him with only a few hours of sleep all in all.

Stretching his aching limbs, Tom stumbled out of bed. He didn’t like sleeping in the guestroom, not because he didn’t like the room itself but because it meant that things weren’t quite right between him and his wife.

After a quick glance at the clock, he tiptoed across the hall to shower. It was still dark out and with a bit of luck he’d have breakfast ready before Paula was up.

 

“Oh hey Dad. What are you doing here?” Surprised, Ben stopped in the doorway of the kitchen before he entered the room fully.

A bit confused, Tom looked up from the frying pan. “Um, I am making breakfast if that’s okay?!”

The 10-year-old merely shrugged his shoulders. “Sure. It’s just, you never do that so...I guess I simply expected Mum down here and not you.” He smiled briefly before getting two bowls out of the cupboard for Emiliana and himself. With his back towards his father, he didn’t see the somewhat hurt and guilty expression on Tom’s face.

“I,um..., I made a Full English for all of us actually,” Tom mumbled, pointing towards the food on the stove in front of him and once more Ben turned around.

“Oh okay...we normally only have cereal in the morning on school days but I guess a change in routine doesn’t hurt anyone.” Carefully, he placed the bowls back into the cupboard and got some glasses out for their orange juice while his sister now joined them in the kitchen.

 

“Oh hey Dad. What are you doing here?,” she smiled, equally as surprised as her twin brother earlier, but before Tom could answer, Ben did.

“He’s made a Full English for us, Em. If I didn’t know better, I’d say he’s in trouble with Mum.”

The children laughed at what they thought was quite a joke but Tom merely smiled half-heartedly before they took their plates through to the dining table.

It saddened him to realise that he truly wasn’t a fixed part in his children’s daily life anymore. He used to be up first for years, getting breakfast ready for the twins and Paula, listening to their stories about school or friends before dropping them off at Hornsby House. When had all of that changed?

 

“Emmy, do you know if your mother is up yet? I don’t want her breakfast to get cold.” Tom remained standing in the door, his hands awkwardly pushed into the pockets of his trousers.

Briefly, his daughter looked up from her breakfast. “Yeah she is. She’d just gotten out of the shower when I went downstairs so I suppose she’ll be down soon.”

He nodded before shuffling back into the kitchen when movement to his left caught his attention.

 

“Morning Mum! Look, Daddy made a Full English for all of us!,” Ben shouted excitedly, unaware of his father’s hopeful glance in Paula’s direction which she ignored plainly.

“That’s lovely, sweetheart. Just don’t get any stains on your shirt please,” the 28-year-old smiled, warmly, walking past the plate Tom offered her to take her seat beside her son.

“I’ve left your cricket kit in the hallway, Ben, and I’ve fixed your shirt. And Emmy, if you leave that skirt from yesterday on your bed, I’ll sew the hem later.”

The twins nodded with thankful smiles before tucking into their hearty breakfast again. Tom was still standing in the kitchen, Paula’s breakfast next to him slowly getting cold.

 

“Don’t worry, I’ll take them to school. You go and...relax a bit,” Tom mumbled, fumbling with the car keys in his hands while Ben and Emmy already climbed into the car outside.

“Ok. Make sure Ben takes his cricket kit and Emmy needs her PE kit today,” Paula replied, leaning onto the banister with crossed arms.

“I will,” he nodded, still standing awkwardly in front of her before he leaned in to breathe a gentle kiss onto her cheek. “I’ll see you in a bit,” he whispered, leaving the house shortly after to jump into the car and drop his children off at school.

 

The house was quiet when he returned soon after and he left his shoes and coat by the door. Slowly, he walked upstairs and glanced into Sophie's bedroom. She was still fast asleep so he left her be and continued walking over to Max's bedroom.

"Good morning, gorgeous," Tom smiled lovingly as his son looked up at him and gently he picked him up, cradling him in his arms. Holding the little boy made him realise once more how little time he had spent with them recently and how very right Paula had been the previous night.

"Daddy's not home very often, is he? I'm sorry Maximilian! I promise to be here for you more often in the future. I want to see you grow up and I want to hear you laugh and I also want to dry your tears and help you up when you stumble and fall." The little boy gurgled in response, drooling onto Tom’s shirt while he nibbled on his Daddy's finger, entirely unaware of his parents' current differences.

 

"If you don't mind I'd like to take them for a walk later and I could also do the shopping or anything else that needs to be done." Tom looked at Paula with hopeful eyes after he had fed the twins and placed them in their playpen. Taking one more sip of her coffee, Paula placed the mug aside and looked up at her husband.

"I appreciate your offer but I've done the shopping yesterday. Apart from that, you don't have to ask for my permission if you want to take our children for a walk. You're their father, Tom, not some random acquaintance." He looked tired today, she realised. She was also aware of the fact that, unlike previous nights, she hadn't needed to get up once last night and neither did she have to worry about the children, about breakfast, school runs or feeding the twins this morning.

Tom nodded in reply, once more staring at the dark brown liquid in his mug. She was sitting only two metres away and yet it felt like miles. He had taken her for granted, even more so since the birth of the twins. Not once had she moaned about raising children that were not her own, not once had she complained about him being on location for weeks. Not once. until last night. Looking back now he was surprised she had remained silent for so long.

"Paula, I...I'm sorry. I truly am. I don’t know what happened that made me behave like this but I want to change. You and the children are the most important people in my life and never did I want you to think otherwise," Tom apologised quietly, collecting his thoughts for a moment before he continued. "You are an incredible woman. Not only have you raised Benjamin and Emiliana to be wonderful, well-behaved, respectful, polite, clever, ambitious children but you're also doing the same with Maximilian and Sophie. On top of that, you have made this house into our home and you always make sure we have everything we need. I've been an ungrateful idiot yesterday and these last few weeks. I know I can't make it up in one day but I will do my best to show you that I've learned from my mistakes," he concluded, his blue eyes fixed on the gorgeous woman in front of him.

"You know, Tom, it wouldn't have come this far if you hadn't been such a clueless shithead," Paula sighed, once more sipping from her coffee as Tom raised his eyebrow.

"A clueless shithead?"

"Yes, a clueless shithead," she repeated, unable now to hide her smirk.

"You know, I don't think I've ever heard you swear before," Tom mumbled, smiling slightly himself now.  
"Well, there's a first time for everything. And now stop doing that thing with your eyebrows. It always makes my knees go weak," the blonde woman added and he chuckled before hesitantly leaning in for a short but very loving kiss.

"I love you, Paula. I love you more than I can say."

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Consequences](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1744589) by [littlemisscurious](https://archiveofourown.org/users/littlemisscurious/pseuds/littlemisscurious)




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